Pittsburgh med student up for 'Sexiest Vegan'

Jayshiv Badlani, 25, competing in PETA contest

Pittsburgh native Jayshiv Badlani is a Northwestern University graduate and a University of Pittsburgh medical student, but he's looking to add quite a different title to his list of credentials: PETA's Sexiest Vegan Next Door.

Badlani, 25, is one of 20 contestants (10 male, 10 female) in the online competition at peta.org.

He told Channel 4 Action News he decided to enter as a way not only to to promote his veganism, but to represent his hometown.

"We recently won the Super Bowl, the Stanley Cup, the Mirror Ball Trophy. Really, all that's missing is the World Series and the Sexiest Vegan Next Door contest," said Badlani.

He went vegan a little more than a year ago, and said it's not only healthy, but also has a positive impact on the environment.

"You tend to make a bigger impact going vegan and eating less meat than, say, switching to a hybrid car or bicycling. It's really a great way to reduce greenhouse gases. It's also extremely healthy," said Badlani.

So what does he think of his chances?

"I know I'm vegan. I know I'm pretty sexy. I thought I had a pretty good chance of taking home the prize," said Badlani.

Voting ends at noon on May 3 at peta.org. The winners (one male, one female) will be announced May 9 and receive a vacation for two to Maui, Hawaii.